Registering an Emotional Support Animal in Minnesota, Under § 504B.113

Minnesota is one of the few states that spells out ESA documentation in its own landlord-tenant law. Minn. Stat. § 504B.113 names the professionals who can write it, limits what a landlord may ask, and settles the fee question in the renter's favor. The statute leaves out anyone whose business is mainly selling certification for service or support animals, so the letter should come from a professional who treats you.

Your certificate and wallet ESA Card go alongside that letter for the everyday moments; the letter is what your landlord evaluates. Minnesota sets no waiting period: it is not one of the four states with a 30-day law (California and Arkansas for emotional support dogs, Louisiana and Montana for any animal).

What Minnesota's § 504B.113 says, subdivision by subdivision

• What a support animal is. An animal that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a disability, and that does not need to be trained for a specific task (subdivision 1).
• Who can document it. A licensed professional: a physician, physician assistant, nurse, psychologist, social worker, counselor, or other licensed mental health professional, or an out-of-state equivalent who already treats you (subdivision 1).
• What the landlord can ask for. Documentation for each animal confirming the disability and how it relates to your need for the animal, but not when the need is readily apparent or already known to the landlord (subdivision 2).
• What the landlord can't ask for. Your medical records, access to your medical providers, or other information about the disability (subdivision 2).
• Fees. A landlord may not require a tenant with the accommodation to pay an additional fee, charge, or deposit for the animal; you stay liable for any damage it causes (subdivision 3).
• Honesty is enforced. Knowingly claiming a disability you don't have, or handing over fraudulent documentation, lets the landlord deny the application or the request (subdivisions 4 and 5).

Minnesota made landlords put the fee rule in the lease in 2024

The 2024 amendment added a disclosure duty: a landlord who charges pet fees has to say in the lease that those fees don't apply to service and support animals. If the lease leaves that out, a tenant who paid pet fees can sue to get them back, as long as they show they would have asked for an accommodation and likely received it. Read your lease's pet section before you sign; if the disclosure is there, the conversation is already half done.

How to get an ESA letter in Minnesota

1. Ask the clinician who already knows you. A Minnesota therapist, psychologist, nurse practitioner, or physician can often write the letter at a regular visit. Bring our free sample ESA letter so it confirms both the disability and the need, the two things subdivision 2 asks for.
2. No current provider? Get a real evaluation. Telehealth services with Minnesota-licensed clinicians typically charge $139–$199 for a live evaluation. Confirm a license you can look up and a license number on the finished letter.
3. Moving from another state? A professional licensed where you came from counts if they already treat you, so ask your current provider before you look for a new one.

With your letter in hand, our instant registration kit takes about 3 minutes at /register: pet details and a photo, never a health question. It gives you a Certificate of Registration and a wallet ESA Card for the everyday moments, emailed as two print-ready documents. It goes beside your clinician's letter, never in place of it.

What the letter changes at a Minnesota rental

• No-pet buildings must consider your request. Under § 504B.113 and the FHA, a request backed by a licensed professional's letter is evaluated on its facts.
• Minnesota settles the fee question in the statute. Subdivision 3 says a tenant with the accommodation can't be required to pay an additional fee, charge, or deposit for the animal.
• Breed and weight limits often bend. Many landlords set aside breed and weight limits for an ESA with a clinician's letter; rules vary by state and building, so ask yours.
• You still pay for damage. Subdivision 3 keeps you liable for anything your animal damages.

What a Minnesota landlord can and can't ask

A landlord may ask for documentation when your need isn't apparent or known, and may confirm the professional's license. A landlord may not require your medical records or access to your providers (subdivision 2), or make you pay an additional fee, charge, or deposit for the animal (subdivision 3). If a properly documented request is refused, answer in writing, cite Minn. Stat. § 504B.113 and the FHA, and keep every reply. The Minnesota Department of Human Rights takes housing discrimination complaints, and the federal FHA allows a private lawsuit within two years.

No Minnesota ESA registry (and what a card is for)

Minnesota keeps no ESA registry, and neither does the federal government. An ESA has housing rights, not public-access rights: it can't come into restaurants or stores the way a trained service animal can, and since early 2021 ESAs fly as pets under each airline's pet policy.

The $39$59$79$99 Digital Kit covers one animal: a Certificate of Registration and a wallet ESA Card, sent as two print-ready documents, plus a listing at /verify, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The $69$89$109$129 Complete Kit adds both in print, posted to US addresses; the pricing page compares the two.